Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organisations, states) often as an intended means of provoking change or preventing it.
Satire is not exclusive to any viewpoint.
Parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it.

There are several types of satire:

Diminution: Reduces the size of something in order that it may be made to appear ridiculous or in order to be examined closely and have its faults seen close up. For example, treating the Canadian Members of Parliament as a squabbling group of little boys is an example of diminution. Gulliver's Travels is a diminutive satire.

Inflation: A common technique of satire is to take a real-life situation and exaggerate it to such a degree that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen, and thus satirical. For example, two boys arguing over a possession of a car can be inflated into an interstellar war. The Rape of the Lock[?] is an example of inflation.

Juxtaposition: Places things of unequal importance side by side. It brings all the things down to the lowest level of importance on the list. For example, if a guy says his important subjects in school include Calculus, Computer Science, Physics, and girl-watching, he has managed to take away some of the importance of the first three. The Rape of the Lock[?] is also an example of juxtaposition.

Parody: Imitates the techniques and style of some person, place, or thing. Parody is used for mocking or mocking its idea of the person, place, or thing. Monty Python is an example of parody.

The line between parody and satire is often blurred.
Satires need not be humorous, indeed they are often tragic, while parodies are almost inevitably humorous.
Some parodies with heavy elements of satire include:

Some works of satire are subtle enough in their exaggeration that they still seem believable to many people.
The comedic intent of these works of satire may be lost on the public at large, and there have been instances where the author or producers of a satirical work have been harshly criticized as a result.
In 2002 the British network Channel Four aired a satiric "mockumentary" entitled Paedogeddon, which was intended to mock and satirize the fascination of modern journalism with child molestors and paedophiles.
The TV network received an enormous number of complaints from members of the public, who were outraged that the show would mock a subject considered by many to be too "serious" to be the subject of humor.